Corrugated metallic car end and method of manufacturing the same



Dec. 11, 1923. A

C. 5. SMITH CORRUGATED METALLIC cAR END AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Filed Aug. 31 1921 m Vb v T023 jMif/Z.

Futented cc. 11, 1923.

roam PATENT, ounce CHARLES S. SMITH, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN. ASSIGNOR TO A. 0. SMITH CORPOBA TION, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CORRUGATED METALLIC C END AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THESAME.

Application filed August 31, 1921. Serial No. 497,403.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, CHARLES S. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful 1m rovements in Corrugated Metallic Car En s and Methods of Manufacturing the Same; and I do declare the following to be a clear, exact, and complete description of the invention, such as will enable persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates to make and use the same and to practice the process of manufacture, reference being had to the accompanying drawing foran exposition of the details of a. specific construction in which the concrete invention has been embodied, although it may be embodied in other forms of construction and produced by other methods of manufacture than are hereinafter disclosed. v

The general nature of my invention is suificiently outlined in the title appearing at the head of this specification.

The present activity in the development of inventions in the class to which the one now under consideration relates is directed largely to. improved processes of manufacture, which are carried on with a view to reducing the costs of production attendant upon the practice of the existing methods of till manufacture.

The corrugated metallic end for railway frei ht cars has demonstrated its serviceahihty and durability, and is coming into general use, both in the repair of cars new in service and in the construction of new Jar ends formed of metal plates having horizontally extending corrugations, are accepted as meeting all of the requirements of the very heavy tnthc burdens imposed upon cars equipped with such ends.

But the methods now followed in the manufactureof such car ends encounter obstacles which appear as structural defects in some instances, and generally involve excessive costs in production, which costs are inseparable from the production of car ends of certain types.

lngconstructions in which the corrugated end plateof the car and the ching side flanges are formed from one sheet of steel, it has been necessary to reduce the plate to a state of ductility by the application of in addition an equipment of large heat, in order that the corrugations could be formed therein. But resort to this expedient greatly weakens the plate in certain areas, by reason of the unavoidable stretching of the metal which occurs when the heated plate is subjected to the drawing action of the dies of the press used in forming the corrugations. The practice also requires the maintenance of large furnaces with their consequent waste of energy, and romos which operate with the consum tion of an enormous amount of power.

My invention is designed to eliminate the defects and wastes attendant upon the ractice of the older methods of corrugate metallic car end roducrtion, and I achieve the results desired by producing a corrugated car end in which there is no distension of the metal, such as follows pressing the plates as heretofore. Such a, car end is produced in an exceedingly simple manner, so

that I am enabled to grwtly reduw the cost of production, whencompared with existing methods.

In carrying out my invention, I pass flat steel plate of appropriate gage and dimensions, through a set of fluting rollers, which import to the plate a succession of parallel corrugations extending" over the whole surface of the plate, that is, from edge to edge thereof, so that'the corrugations, in the prof structural form, will extend horizontally of the our end when the latter is later attached to the car of which it is intended to form a structural part. The side margins of corrted plate are folded onlinesco-incident with the side lines of the car, and insuch folding the corrugations in the mid side marns are reduced and made to disappear in e folding pressure, so that such side margins are constituted as plane surfaces, which stand normal to the plane of the our end.

It therefore follows that the length of the corrugations in the finished end plate are co extensive with the width of the end of. the

car to which the end plate is applied. 'llie lltl , 15 of the plate lying outside of the durable form.

The novel features of in invention will he pointed out in the a pen ed clainis.

In the drawing w ich is attached to this specification,

Figure 1 1s a perspective view. of a part of one end of a railway freight car having a corrugated metallic car end constructed in accordance with my invention attached thereto.

lFi 2 is a plan View of a portion of a meta plate used in the production of my improved our end, and showing the plate as rovided with parallel corrugations extending from edge to ed e thereof, the plate showing between pure el, vertical dotted folding lines, an area the width of which is equal to the width of the car end, and showing in part how the corrugated margins of the plate beyond the dotted lines may be smoothed out in the folding operation to produce angular, plane flanges by means of which the corrugated end plate may be attached to the car.

Fig 3 is a hom zontal section through one corner of the car, showing the manner in which the end plate may he attached to the car structure or frame.

Referring m the drawing numeral 10 indicates a portion of the side of a railwoy freight our of ordinary construction, and ll a corrugeted metallic end plate constructed in nccordunce with my invention, toched in position to form one end of the car structure the practice of my improved process, ll tahe a hat plate 1% of sheet steel, having due for its necessary dimensions and the stress% to which the product will be subjected while in use n port of the car structure, and the said plate through pair of duting rollers or dies. The latter will he constructed and actuated as desired,

having in mind the formation in plate 12 of in succession of cor uga of eppropriate width end hei. across the plate or from one other thereof.

A central section in the vertical direction of the corrugated plate, defined by the dotted lines 14, it, lli 2, and corresponding laterall with the width of the car to which the on plate is later to he opplie is preserved undisturbed, but the side 15,

said dottel-tending ted lines are folded along the dotted so us to stand at a right an le to the of the plate, to form paralel flanges l7, one of which is shown, and which emhroce the sides of the cor. menus these side flanges the corrugated end 11 may he secured in proper position as an element of the car structure.

In the folding operation referred to, the corrugations in the margins 15, 15, of the plate are pressed out and made to disappoor, so that such margins emerge from the press in theform of plane surfaces, l6, 16. In performing the folding operation, care should be exercisedthat the reserved portions of the corrugations within the area embraced by the folding lines 14,1t, are not encroached upon by the folding dies or rollers as the sheet passes therethrougln I am aware of the fact that an end plate of a structure approaching mine in similarity has been patented, but in such patented end plate the corrugations are produced by die-pressing a previousl heated plate, in which operation the si e margins of the plate extending beyond the side lines of the car are preserved in their original planiforni state to form the attaching flanges, when folded. As hereinb'efore stated, on end plate produced by such older method is weakened materially in certain areas hy reason of the excessive stretching of the motel which occurs in the forrnetion of the corrugations in the plate. The defects r cit/ed inherent in the older structure are eliminated in my invention.

The article embodying my invention is capahle ouuntity production in an on peditious economical manner, by reason of the improved method of its manufacture.

The o1 the foldin op bed is not materi gation L ation upon plate or subsequently thereto.

Having thus described my invention,

desire to secure hy Let United is:

structure, a metallic end A l'lcl corrugations extend r on: edge thereof, such comui end huving a width exmeding of the end no car to which it is be attached, parallel atteching side flanges constituted as plone surfaces out of the corrugated integral nun ins of the cor rugated end plane which extends beyond tho side of the car, the said attaching side extending in planes normal to vertical. plane of the end plate. 4

2. a our end structure, a metallic plate for use as an end plate of the car, the said plate hav' a width erceeding of the car to which it is to applied, and sold plate being provided with corrugations which extend from edge to edge thereof, the corru ted integral margins of the plete exten beyond the sides of the our heinr;

I claim p out or the lltlll) ltltl into plane surfaces which extend normal to the plane of the end plate.

3. The process of making corrugated me tallic ends for railway cars, which comprises the steps of corrugating from edge to edge a sheet metal plate having a width exceeding that of the car to which the end plate is to be applied, folding the corrugated side margins on lines coinciding with the side lines of the car, and pressing out the corrugations in such margins to form flanges having plane surfaces for attachment to the sides of the car.

4. The process of making corrugated metallic ends for railway cars, which process comprises the operations of imparting to a sheet metal plate having a width exweding that of the car a succession of parallel corrugations extending from edge, to edge of the plate, folding the corrugated plate on lines coinciding with the side lines of the car, and pressing out the corrugations in the margins beyond the folding lines to form flanges having plane surfaces for attachment to the sides of the car.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name at Milwaukee, this 23d day of August,

C. S. SMITH. Witnesses:

W. FrWooLARn, EMMA HAUG. 

